Fire-escape



(No Model.)

' H. VIBREGG.

FIRE ESCAPE.

N0. 456,388. 8 Patented July 21, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY VIEREGG, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,388, dated July 21,1891.

Application filed March 13,1891. Serial No. 384,904. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, HENRY VIEREGG, of Grand Island, in the county ofHall and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes, and especiallyto an improvement upon the escape for which I secured Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 450,899, dated April 21, 1891; and the object ofthe invention is to provide a device capable of being expeditiouslymanipulated and so constructed that persons may be loweredin safety fromhigh buildings to the ground.

The invention consists in a novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters and figures of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the Views. 7

Figure l. is a partial front elevation of a building illustrating theapplication thereto of the improved escape. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation,partly in section. Fig.3is ahorizonal section through thebuilding beneath the cornice, looking down; and Fig. 4 is a centralvertical section through the drum of the escape.

The body of the escape consists of a drum A, which is mounted to turn ina frame B. The frame consists, preferably, of two side members 10, whichare united at their upper ends over the drum and carried upward in theform of a single member 11. A hook or loop extension 12 is formedintegral with or attached to the member 11, and within the hook or loopa peripherally-grooved pulley 13 is pivoted, and immediately below thepulley a pin 14 is projected from the single member of the frame, for apurpose to be hereinafter described. The lower ends of the sides 10 ofthe frame are united by a bar 15, and to the frame B a guide-frame O ishorizontally secured, the said frame being essentially rectangular, andthe journal of the drum is located at the intersection of theguide-frame O with the side pieces of the main frame.

less diameter than between the inner and the marginal flanges, wherebythe drum is divided into a central section a, and outer sections a and aIn the surface of the smaller central section a an annular channel 18 isformed,

and at predetermined intervals oppositelyaligning cleats or studs 19 areproduced upon the opposite faces of the central flanges 17.

An endless chain 20 is passed over the central section a of the drum,and every other link of the chain enters the channel 18, and sundry ofthe horizontallydisposed links engage with the cleats or studs 19, whichserve to prevent the chain from slipping upon the drum.

The endless chain 20 is adapted to reach nearly to the ground and passesover a vertical pulley 21, journaled in a heavy block 22,

provided with an attached handle 23, the object of this device being toenable parties upon the pavement or ground to draw the chain outward,and thus prevent those descending from being brought in contact with thewindow-sills or other projections upon the face of the building, and ifthe house is con structed with an area to carry the chain be, yond thesame. The descending part y in aijt simply grip the chain, or the personmay be provided with any approved form of harness,

which, when employed, is hooked to the links of the chain. The block 22,being heavy, serves to hold the chain steady and enable an operator uponthe sidewalk to readily control the direction of the descent.

In connection with. the drum brakes are employed. These brakes consistof straps 24, ordinarily of strong metal, which are secured at one oftheir ends to a cover 15, attached to a' frame 0 or the upper portion ofthe main frame B. The straps are adapted to engage with the largersections a and a of the drum between the inner and marginal flangesthereof, and the lower ends of the straps are connected with the innerextremities of levers 25, preferably of an angular type, said leversbeing fulcrumed upon the rod 15. The outer sections of the levers areordinarily connected by an adjustable bail 26, provided with a ring orits equivalent, and the ring is connected with a ICO swivel 2'7, and tothe swivel the upper end of a chain or cable 28 is firmly secured. Bymeans of this chain the brakes may beapplied by a descending party orone upon the sidewalk, the application being made by forcing the strapsto a frictional contact more or less positive with the side peripheralsections of the drum.

Brackets D are horizontally secured to the building near the cornice,but below the same, which brackets are practically V-shaped and aresecured to the building in any approved manner through the medium oftheir members. Upon the outer or reduced ends of the brackets D, whichare concaved, a track E is bolted or otherwise secured, the said trackbeing preferably circular in cross-section, tubular, and made up of aseries of sections. The track is adapted to extend around the building,ordinarily around three sides if located upon a corner, or across thefront only if the house be one of the intermediate houses of a row, forinstance. The sections of the track are usually connected by placing astud or dowel-pin e in one section, adapted to enter a socket in anopposing section.

The grooved pulley 13 of the body-frame travels upon the track Eof theescape and is prevented from leaving the track by the pin let, whichextends immediately beneath the latter, and the groove of the pulley 13is made snfficiently deep to enable the side flanges to extend downwardessentially to an engagement with the tops of the brackets, asillustrated in Fi 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a frameadapted to be suspended from a building, a drumjournaledin said frame,provided with three separated peripheral surfaces, and an endless chainpassed over the central surface, of levers pivoted in the frame beneaththe drum, strap-brakes attached to the frame, adapted for engagementwith the drum and attached to said levers, and means for manipulatingthe levers, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a frame adapted to besuspended from a building and a drum held to revolve in said frame,

provided with three independent peripheral surfaces, the central surfacewhereof is of the least diameter and is provided with a central annularchannel and oppositely-opposed stops or lugs, of angle-levers pivoted inthe frame beneath the drum, strap-brakes having one of their endssecured to the frame,which straps are passed over the outer sections ofthe drum, their opposite ends being secured to the vertical members ofthe levers, an endless chain 7 passed over the central drum-surface, anda tension device attached to said chain, as and for the purposespecified.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a track adapted to be securedto and project outward from the face of abuilding, a frame provided witha friction-roller adapted to travel upon the track, and a drum journaledin said frame, having three independent peripheral surfaces, the centralone whereof is provided with a central annular channel and opposed sidelugs or stops, of an endless chain held to travel over the centralsurface of the drum, levers jonrnaled in said frame, and brake-strapsattached to thelevers and passed over the outer peripheral surfaces ofthe drum, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a track adapted to beattached to and project from the face of the building, a frame providedwith a friction-pulley adapted to travel upon the track, a pin locatedin the frame and extending beneath the track, and a drum journaled inthe frame, provided with three independent peripheral surfaces, thecentral one whereof has an annular grooveprodnced therein and isprovided with diametrically-aligning stops or lugs, of an endless chainheld to travel over the central surface of the drum and over a lowerweighted friction-pulley provided with a handle, angular levers pivotedin the frame beneath the drum, and brake-straps secured at one end tothe frame, passed over the outer peripheral surfaces of the drum, andhaving their opposite ends attached to the vertical members of thelevers, as and for the purpose specified.

HENRY VIEREGG.

Witnesses:

.II. C. HELD, W. H. 'inonrsox.

